Late Consequences
by Fuji's Girl
Summary: He was always late....always. He was late in realizing his love, late in admitting it to her, late in saving what they could have had. The question was, would he still be late to protect her? Or would fate put the punishment of tardiness on his shoulders?


**Late Consequences**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Prince of Tennis or any of it's characters. Owning it is Konomi-sensei's job, not mine.

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_After some time I've finally made up my mind_

_She is the girl and I really want to make her mine_

_I'm searching everywhere to find her again_

_To tell her I love her_

_And I'm sorry 'bout the things I've done_

Two years. Two very, very lllllllooooooonnnnnnggggg years. That was how long he had been away from her now and it was such a long time since they last saw each other.

He remembered her crying at the airport before he was about to go. He told her not to cry for him because he was going to pursue his dreams. He said to her that if she really was his friend, she wouldn't try to stop him, she would let him go and achieve his goals.

"You're no different from my stupid, obnoxious and selfish fangirls." He remembered saying as he turned his back and walked away from the girl who crumpled down in tears at what he had just said. "Tennis means everything to me and it means more to me than anything else in this world."

Now he had his 'everything', his dreams, he had finally reached his goals.

He had all the fame, the glory and all that he had ever wanted.

All his rivals, he had already defeated. The U.S. Open, French Open, Australian Open and the Wimbledon, he had conquered them all. He had made tennis history by completing the Grand Slam circuit at age 19, the youngest ever to ever do such a feat.

Undefeatable, that was the word attributed to his name.

Even his father the great Samurai tennis player Echizen Nanjiroh could no longer subdue and defeat his son.

But….. as Echizen Ryoma wins match to match, as he walks up to the court by all by himself, as he hears his fan girls shriek all around him, the eminent Tennis Prince feels…….lonely.

He feels so alone even with everyone around him.

The 'Everyone' who always wants him to win and never lose. The 'Everyone' who wants him for his tennis, and not for who he really is. For the cold, uncaring, and stubborn person he really is.

It drives an empty feeling straight into Ryoma's heart.

So as always, as he walks up to court, he imagines that she is there beside him, smiling and giving him all the support in times when he wins and in times when he suffers a lose.

It is then he regrets what he did to her. It is then that he actually admits that he misses Ryuuzaki. And oh, how he misses the girl, her smiles, her little stuttering chit-chats, her undying support and her whole, undivided attention. He misses her sweet soft voice calling him 'Ryoma-kun', her homemade bentos, the worried look on her face whenever he wounds himself on court and well, he simply misses……her.

And everyday as he goes through with his life, he begins to remember everything they've been together and his loneliness grows.

He realizes that he has fallen in love with Ryuuzaki Sakuno and that he had realized it too late.

Right now, at this very moment, as Ryoma gazes at 'their' picture, the one that was accidentally taken by Shiba-san in Kawamura-sempai's sushi shop eight years ago when he was twelve, he finally makes his decision.

Picking up the phone, he dials the airport services.

"Moshimoshi. This is Echizen Ryoma. Get me the earliest flight to Japan."

"Anou, Echizen-san, the flight is at 3:00 pm."

"Yosh."

He hangs up and then begins packing his suitcase. Walking out of his three-story mansion, the feline-eyed prince meets his manager coincidentally on the driveway.

"Hoi, where are you going Ryoma?"

"None of your business Kevin." He huffs as he dumps his things into his new red Ferrari and hops into the driver's seat.

"Matte Echizen! You still have an exhibition match this week, autograph signing for the next, and commercials lining up for you. You can't just vanish to Kami knows where when you've got tons of responsibilities!" shouts Kevin over the gurgling sound of the engine starting.

"It can all wait."

"Eh, then what about that girl I set you up with, Natasha?"

"I won't date her."

Ryoma was just about to speed off but then the blond manager blocked his way and set his hands on top of the convertible's hood.

"How about the two boxes of mail you have to open?"

"Get out of the way, NOW." He orders.

Kevin knew better than to disobey and be turned into road kill. Gaaaaahhhh. He wanted to spare his life, he was too young to die.

Stepping aside, he let the shiny red car whizz past him and make his bangs fly.

"Too bad for you, I see a letter from a Ryuuzaki Sakuno in here!" he calls out as he watches the Tennis Prince speed away. "Sheesh, what a baka."

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"There, I'm done!" sighed a beautiful auburn head as she signs her name one the pink sheet of scented paper. Kicking her feet up and down in the air, she leaned in on the trunk and looked down at the ground from where she was hanging.

She then folded the letter and jammed it into a white envelope. "I'm sorry Ryoma-kun. I just can't help it. No matter what I do, I will always….." she says in her mind as she feels the breeze playfully sift through her waist-long auburn tresses which was let down.

"I hope you finally reach your dreams."

Sakuno closed her eyes and leaned a little sideward. The branch she was sitting on was broader than most of the branches in the tree, but considering her miss-clumsy-girl complex, she lost her balance.

"Wa-waa-wwwwaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"

She felt herself falling, faster, faster, and faster. Her mind waited a few seconds in anticipation of the pain she knew she was going to feel. She waited, and waited, and waited but still…..she didn't feel anything at all.

"Saa, Daijoubo ka miss?"

Sakuno opened her eyes to find herself caught in the arms of a gorgeously handsome brunette with worried blue cerulean eyes looking over her.

"H-hai, hai. D-daijoubo. Honto ni arigatou, n-ne, F-fuji-sempai," she thanked him as she shakily set herself down.

"Eh, do we know each other miss?"

"Sempai!" pouted the girl.

The tennis tensai took a closer look at the auburn girl with chocolate brown doe-like eyes and was taken aback.

"SAKUNO-CHAN? Is it really you, the nightingale singer Ryuuzaki Sakuno? The shy Echizen fangirl turned celebrity? Tezuka told me that you've changed, but I guess that was an understatement. I could hardly even recognize you! You've become so beautiful!"

Sakuno blushed a deep maroon and bowed down.

"A-arigatou, S-sempai…"

"So Sakuno-chan, do you want to have lunch with me? I was on my way to Taka-san's sushi bar right now. It's my treat!"

"A-anou, o-okay. B-but I cant s-stay for l-long t-though. I s-still have to g-go to the p-post office."

"Post office? Shall I accompany you then?" the ever smiling tensai offered.

The two walked through the park in silence for a moment when Fuji suddenly decided to break the tension and earn a little prize as well. If possible, some black mail material for the future would be good.

" Ne, Sakuno-chan?"

"H-hai?"

"You don't really need to stutter around me you know……..unless of course……you like me more than Echizen."

"S-sempai! Stop teasing me!"

"Saa, you're blushing again Sakuno-chan! You look so kawaii when you blush!"

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_I find her standing in front of the church_

_The only place in town where I didn't search_

_She looks so happy in her wedding dress_

_But she's crying while she's saying this_

Ring, ring, ring.

"Damn, why won't she answer the door?" Ryoma cursed as he banged his head on the mahogany door.

He had gone straight to her house after his four-day flight and she didn't even dare to take a look into the peephole to see who was knocking on the door.

Was she that angry at him?

"Or maybe……nobody's at home," he mused. Grunting, he walked up to the sidewalk. That girl across the street could probably tell him where she was.

Hmmmmm. If he took a closer look at her, she kind of looked like that noisy fangirl of his, the one with the supersonic voice who would always try to burst his eardrums with her on-a-daily-basis wailing and shrieking. Oh, yeah. She also was Ryuuzaki's bestfriend before.

"_She definitely knows where Ryuuzaki is…."_

Ryoma ran towards the girl who he noticed was fiddling with a bunch of keys as he closer.

"Hoi, Oka – " "RYOMA-SAMA!!!!" her shrill voice cut him off. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THESE YEARS?!! IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE SEEN EACH OTHER! NE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MY DRESS?"

To avoid displeasing her ( his eardrums would explode if he did ), the tennis prince gave an over-all look and shrugged.

"I have no idea. Where are you off to anyway? And where's Ryuuzaki?"

"TO SAKUNO-CHAN'S WEDDING!"

"What wedding?"

"OH DON'T YOU KNOW RYOMA-SAMA? SAKUNO-CHAN'S MARRYING HER BELOVED SYUUSUKE-KUN."

"Fuji-sempai?"

"AHUH. THEY STARTED DATING A YEAR AFTER YOU LEFT. AFTER SAKUNO-CHAN AND FUJI-SEMPAI WERE CROWNED AS JAPAN'S SINGING CELEBRITY COUPLE AND AS THE NO. 1 ARTISTS IN JAPAN AND ABROAD, THE TWO DECIDED TO GET MARRIED," beamed Tomoka at the stunned tennis prince.

"So Ryuuzaki's a celebrity now?"

"YUP. YOU'VE CERTAINLY MISSED OUT ON A LOT, RYOMA-SAMA!"

"I have to stop the wedding."

"WHY?"

"Because I love her…."

Ryoma turned away to hurriedly get into his car and drive-off to the wedding, but then Tomoka blocked his way. " MATTE, RYOMA-SAMA! DO YOU REALLY LOVE SAKUNO-CHAN?"

"Why would I want to stop the wedding if I didn't love her?"

"THEN COME WITH ME."

Leading him up to the garage, she opened it to reveal a brand new black Lamborghini.

"HOP IN!" she ordered as she got in the driver's seat.

"Hey, Oka…why are you doing this?"

"WELL RYOMA-SAMA, THE TRUTH IS, EVEN THOUGH SAKUNO-CHAN WENT OUT WITH FUJI-SEMPAI, SHE NEVER REALLY STOPPED LOVING YOU, EVEN WHEN YOU LEFT."

A spark of hope lit in Ryoma's heart. After hearing what Okasada said, his impatience to reach the wedding in time to stop it was sky-rocketing.

"How long till we get there?"

"It's a 25-mile ride outside Kanto."

Sheesh, 25 miles? He'd never make it in time. Ryoma's chest began to burn and his heart rate started to increase. He was worried that by the time they reached the temple it would be all over.

Maybe if he listened to some music it would do him some good. Putting on his earphones, he turned on his ipod and listened to a song which coincidentally sort of narrated what he was going through.

_Boy I missed your kisses all the time but this is_

_Twenty five minutes too late_

_Though you travelled so far boy I'm sorry you are_

_Twenty five minutes too late_

"Cheh, whatever. This is just a coincidence. I don't believe in superstitions and bad luck. I know I'll make it in time. I swear I will." He thought grumpily as he continued to listen to the song.

He had to make it in time. He couldn't afford to be late. Not 25 minutes too late, not 20, 10, 5 or even a second too late. Being late in stopping the wedding was inexcusable, especially when his heart and his love where the ones at stake.

_Against the wind I'm going home again_

_Wishing be back to the time when we were more than friends_

They had finally passed 10 miles. 15 more to go. There was no turning back now. Ryoma was not planning to quit, neither did he plan to run away with his tail beneath his legs.

No siree. He was going to take Ryuuzaki back, no matter what.

"OKAY, WE'VE PASSED 15 MILES NOW! 10 MORE MILES TO GO! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" shouted Tomoka as she raced through the highway.

"WE WONT BE LATE!"

"Hai."

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_But still I see her in front of the church_

_The only place in town where I didn't search_

_She looks so happy in her wedding dress_

_But she cried while she's saying this_

Taking slow strides across the carpet, Sakuno smiled and blushed at everyone around her. The Shinto temple was packed with family friends and well known celebrities who were invited to the wedding.

At the other end of the carpet was her handsome husband-to-be in his tuxedo. Even with the distance between the two of them, she could see the mirth shining in his eyes and true joy in his smile.

So, this was finally it.

She was getting married to the man she loved and she was happy. But….with the happiness she felt inside, Sakuno could not deny that somehow there was a tinge of emptiness and regret in what she felt.

Sure, she loved Syuusuke, in fact, to her, he was her entire life, but deep inside, she knew that there would always be a part of her that would always belong to Ryoma.

A small pearl-like tear streaked across her face and smeared some of her make-up as she mutters in a low voice, "Gomennasai, Ryoma-kun."

"Did you say something Sakuno?" asked Ryuuzaki Sumire who was walking by her side in place of her father.

"No, Obaachan, I'm just glad that you're the one giving me away."

"Oh?"

Laughing the two proceeded walking as Sakuno hid away her sorrow.

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_Boy I missed your kisses all the time but this is_

_Twenty five minutes too late_

_Though you travelled so far boy I'm sorry you are_

_Twenty five minutes too late_

"HUFF, HUFFF, HUFF. GOSH, THE TEMPLE IS STILL WAY UP! ICANT CLIMB ANYMORE STEPS. MY LEGS ARE KILLING ME! RYOMA-SAMA, WAIT UP!"

Ryoma wasn't listening though. Using all that he had gained with his tennis skills, he clambered up the hundred steps to the temple as quickly as he could. He just had to imagine that Inui-sempai was waiting at the other end with aozu as punishment if he were late.

Besides, he had a wedding to stop, and nothing could slow him down. Step by step, pant by pant, all that Ryoma could think about was only one thing.

"I have to stop Ryuuzaki's wedding. I have to stop it."

Climb, climb, climb. Yes, he had finally reached the ninety-ninth step. One more step to go……and……there! He had finally made it!

"Ryuuzaki! Chhhooottttttooooooo Maattteee…." Ryoma's voice lowered as he barged through the temple door.

"I do."

"I do."

Ryoma's heart dropped.

He couldn't believe it. He really couldn't believe it. He was late and there was nothing more that he could do.

Sakuno was already married to Fuji-sempai.

Sighing, the tennis prince forlornly took a final glance at his beloved. Well, atleast he saw her for one last time, at least this time she was smiling happily because of Fuji instead of crying because of him.

Being late always has its consequences. Even the great tennis prince was no exception to that.

Lingering a moment at the temple door, Ryoma was about to make his way down when he felt that there was something absolutely wrong.

Of course Ryuuzaki marrying someone else, his sempai to be more precise to him was as right as him being beaten 6 games to love by a five year old kindergartener. What he sensed though was a totally different kind of wrong.

It was an aura of danger.

Turning around, he scanned the crowd of people crammed inside the temple. All of their eyes were glued on the couple, including what Ryoma thought to be his 'sempai tachi' and Ryuuzaki's personal body guards.

Cheh. Not only were the guards watching the celebrity couple like 'good little guards' ought to, so were the cameras they were using in their hands.

They were so intent on what they were doing that they seemed like the couple's biggest fans.

Okay, so maybe they were. There was nothing wrong with that. What was wrong was they weren't doing their job. They weren't making sure that their employers were safe.

To make things worse, the aura was getting stronger and stronger.

Ryoma looked around all the guests from the back while the temple priest went on babbling about the vows after the I do's of the two and found nothing of suspicion anywhere.

Then he looked up and saw something or someone rather that made him have more fear than he had ever felt before.

A man dressed in black.

A high-caliber gun.

A target chosen.

Target: Ryuuzaki Sakuno.

_Out in the streets_

_Places where hungry hearts have nothing to eat_

_Inside my head_

_Still I can hear the words she said_

"Alright. Enough with the vows. You may now kiss the bride."

Ryoma ran like he never ran before across the forty meter long aisle.

"IIE!! YAMERU, STOOOOOOOPPPP!"

Each step he took felt like he wasn't even touching the ground as he raced towards the lip-locked couple. He didn't mid how much it hurt to see them kissing. What he was going to do was for Ryuuzaki and for no one else. He really loved her this much.

This was the only way to show how much he cared and how sorry he was for letting her go.

Tennis wasn't important anymore. Ponta wasn't important anymore. Karupin wasn't important anymore. He wasn't important anymore.

Ryuuzaki was all that mattered now.

Finally making it to them, Ryoma hurled himself in front of the bride as he heard the sound of the trigger being pulled and the noise of the bullet flying through the air. He felt the bullet rip through him and deliver its excruciating pain.

He could hear the screams, shouts and sounds of people running out the door. He could hear the couple break away.

"Echizen?!" he heard his sempai shout out.

"Ryoma-kun!" he heard Ryuuzaki cry out.

_Boy I missed your kisses all the time but this is_

_Twenty five minutes too late_

_Though you travelled so far boy I'm sorry you are_

_Twenty five minutes too late_

Ryoma ollapsed, blood oozing out from the left side of his chest.

Everything was so blurry as he went into a daze. It was all so hazy for him. Faintly, he could hear screams for an ambulance, 911 and shouts of help. Somewhere amidst all that he hear two gunshots and the sound of something heavy falling down. He was happy to think that it must've been the assassin being shot down.

Slowly looking towards his sidem he could see Sakuno crying with Fuji by her side as she kneeled down and called out his name.

"Don't leave us!" he could hear her say.

The voices were getting fainter and fainter, and his eyes were slowly becoming dim.

All he could hear right now was his own voice in his head, singing the chorus of the song he listened to in the car.

_Boy I missed your kisses all the time but this is_

_Twenty five minutes too late_

_Though you travelled so far boy I'm sorry you are_

_Twenty five minutes too late_

Now, Ryoma couldn't hear anything. He could hardly see anything even.

All that was left of his sight was a dim picture of Ryuuzaki crying, holding his now cold hands.

Mustering every ounce of energy he had left, he ignored the pain and touched her cheeks to wipe away the tears.

"I'm sorry……I was too…late…..Sa-sakuno."

Turning to Fuji, he whispered, "Make her happy always."

"Sakuno," he called out one last time in a faint rusty voice, "Gomen nasai, aishiteru…."

Ryoma's golden eyes closed and everything went black. His breathing stopped, his body turned cold but as he lay there, there was a smile on his cold lifeless face.

Echizen Ryoma was gone…..but……he had gone with a smile.

He had gone so that she could live. He died happy, knowing for once….for once he wasn't late.

He had saved his loved one's life and that was all that mattered to him.

"NOOOOO! RYOMA-KUN!!"

_I can still hear her say_

Epilogue

Fuji Residence, Seishun, Japan. A year after.

"Oh, Kevin-san! What a surprise! Come in, come in."

"Arigatou ne, Fuji-chan. So, how's the baby? I hope you and Syuusuke-san are doing fine. I'm glad you didn't let what happened at the temple hinder your marriage." Kevin said as he entered the door. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to —"

"No, no it's fine. It's been such a long time since that happened. It's just that I – I still can't believe he's gone," sighed Sakuno as she sat down on the couch slowly, careful not to budge too hard lest the growing baby she loved in her belly be affected and harmed.

"Yeah, I cant either. Is Fuji-sempai around?" the blonde asked.

"No, he's doing an album signing right now but he'll be back by dinner. Why?"

"I was meaning to give these to you," he held up a white envelope and a folded sheet of paper. " I was hoping Fuji-sempai would be here to help you read there, since it might be too much for you to handle but he's not around so —"

"I can manage…..please let me read it, please…."

"Alright then, I have to go now. I have to buy a fresh batch of flowers for….well….you know…..to put on his grave….. Just read these when your koishii gets back ne?" With a slight wave of the hand and a short ja, Kevin handed over the paraphernalia and stepped out of the house.

Closing the door behind him, Sakuno trembled as she returned to the couch. She really had a feeling that these had something to do with Ryoma.

She opened the envelope slowly and was surprised.

It was the letter she sent Ryoma a year before the wedding.

_Ryoma-kun,_

_I cry because of you. I'm hurting because of you. I ache because of you. That day you left I realized we would never be more then friends and that you only caused pain I think I never deserved. I cannot take this anymore, Ryoma-kun, I have to move on without you in my life. But please, Ryoma-kun remember that no matter what I'll never forget you. No matter what there would still be a part of you in me. I wanted to say that and I love you and Sayonara. This is goodbye._

_Truly,_

_Sakuno-chan._

At the back of the letter was a scribbled note, clearly Kevin's handwriting. It read:

_Your letter arrived on the day Ryoma left for Japan to find you. He never got to read it, but if he did I guess it would have made him feel better knowing that no matter what you would always love him._

"So, the letter really did make it, though it took an entire year to get to him." Mussing a little about what she had written, Sakuno put the letter down. She then proceeded to unfold the other sheet of paper carefully and found out that instead of a letter, it was a list. And what was written on that list made her cry as hard as she did when Ryoma sputtered his last words to her.

_Things to do when I reach Japan:_

_Find Ryuuzaki_

_Tell her I'm sorry_

_Make her mine_

_Give up everything for her……_

Clutching the list to her chest, Fuji Sakuno crumpled down just like Ryuuzaki Sakuno once had at the airport. She even cried like Ryuuzaki Sakuno did. And just like the Ryuuzaki Sakuno that left streaming tears at the airport, she wondered why kami allowed him to leave her.

But no matter how much she would ask, it never brought him back. It never did, it never would. He was gone because he did everything he said he would.

He found her.

He told her he was sorry.

Though she couldn't belong to him, a part of her would be his always.

And…….he had given up everything for her…..including…..his life.

OWARI.

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**A/N: **Eto, ohayou ne, minna! This is my first oneshot ever so please don't go too hard on me. I really have trouble in making fluffy scenes so I decided to kill Ryoma instead and make this oneshot a whole lot more interesting. XD oh the tears, oh the tears of joy! I KILLED RYOMA! ( in this fic only though but still it makes me very, very gratified at my crime-writing! Imagine, me stabbing Echizen with a ballpen just for not saying a confession to Sakuno. Hahahaha! Lol XD ) and gosh it felt soooooo good. Cheh. That's what that cocky brat gets when he messes with Sakuno-chan! If he had just ended up with her at the end of the anime then I wouldn't have had to kill him here but then they didn't end up together so…well you know the outcome.

Poor Echizen .

Eh, you all know minna that I write Fujisaku, considering how much I love Fuji, but then again I couldn't have Fuji killed now could I? Fuji always has to end up with Sakuno, always. He should never die. I mean, I love him too much to see him die at my hands and writing. So I made this fic Ryosaku instead, but a tragic one at that.

Anyway, please read and review guys!

Thank you so much. ^_^

PS:

Special thanks to Silkstar-chan who always betas my works! Thank you so very much, you're such a good friend ^_^


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